


Bonds of Steel

by Torendor



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU Supergirl arrives before Clark, Age Difference, Dom/sub Undertones, F/F, Power Dynamics, Power Play, SSC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-04 07:00:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6646906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Torendor/pseuds/Torendor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an alternate universe in which Kara arrived before Clark. They switch places, she takes the normal route (3 year stasis) while Clarks ship is sucked into the phantom zone and appears on earth roughly 30 years later. This small change will have mayor repercussions and result in a different type of Supergirl. She will have to deal with outing herself as the first alien on earth, stand up to public scrutiny as Clark had to in his time and come to terms with being so vastly superior to everyone else that she does not fit in anywhere. There is no big cousin who paved the way, there is no one she can rely on when the shit hits the fan. The story will have dark elements, but there is light albeit in a way that does not conform with most "normal" relationships. **points to the tags**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red means no.
> 
> or
> 
> Kara's first day at work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 25.04.2016 Still very much a WIP, check back in a day or two =)
> 
> Draft Timeline:
> 
> -28721 earth years: Young Kara boards her spaceship, departing shortly after Clark and escapes the destruction of Krypton, their home planet. The voyage to earth takes the spacecraft roughly 3 years in which she stays in stasis. Her body ages and her mind is trained in a dreamlike state by the ships interactive construct as they travels near the speed of light.
> 
> +0 Kara arrives in our solar system and enters into a loose orbit around earth. She taps into the Satellite Network to analyse the humans and plans her next moves.
> 
> +7 days: The alien spacecraft descents to earth without raising any suspicions. Kara is greeted by the Danvers, a married couple of scientists with a teenage daughter. Under the guise of a fellow scientist Kara had contacted the Danvers via email after the interactive construct of her Ship had yielded their names as the most likely to support the Kryptonian on her mission to find and raise her cousin. They adopt Kara shortly afterwards.
> 
> +2 years: Kara spent the last two years adapting to her new home and waiting for a signal that Clark's ship will trigger once he reaches the solar system. Her new parents struggle with their adopted daughter, the only one Kara can deal with is Alex who treats her like a normal human being instead of a 'science project' or a 'poor little girl'. After the death of Mr. Danvers the sisters set out to National City where Kara wants to start a normal life with a simple job while Alex pursues a career in the FBI.
> 
> +4 years 6 month 20 days: 20 year old Kara applies for the position of personal assistant to Cat Grant, the CEO of CatCo. The last 2 years were spent building up the persona of a highly qualified Kara Danvers, forging documents and preparing herself to blend in with the human population. The by now mostly controllable superpowers are kept hidden much to Kara's dismay, but she trusts Alex when she insists that the world is not ready to see her for what she is. Kara is eager to start a job that keeps her on her toes and at the pulse of the world.
> 
> +4 years 8 month 10 days: Kara's first day at work and the start of the proper story.
> 
> Cast:
> 
> Kara Danvers (20) - The Hero of the story  
> Alex Danvers (24) - Kara's adoptive sister, FBI Agent (there is no DEO since there was no alien threat)  
> Cat Grant (51) - CEO of Catco Worldwide Media, Mother of two sons  
> Adam Foster (20) - Eldest son and heir to the CatCo Empire  
> Carter Grant (12) - Shy and introverted son of Cat Grant  
> Lucy Lane (28) - Army Major, James Olsen Ex  
> Clark Kent (1) - Cousin of Kara Danvers  
> James Olsen (29) - Common Photographer (he never got to shoot pictures of superman) who works for CatCo  
> Winn Schott (25) - Techwiz, works in the IT Department of CatCo

## 

+4y +8m +10d

# Monday 06:23, The Danvers Apartment

"Get up Kara, it's creeping me out when you do that." Alex voice is harsher then usually, but considering it's a monday and the weekend was spent preparing an overexcited Kara for her first day at work that should be understandable. She loves her .. Kara, but sometimes the blonde whirlwind is too much for the FBI Agent. 

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Kara stretches on the ground of their living room, basking in the only spot that's fully covered by the morning sun. She does that every now and then, some kind of meditation recharging exercise she had never fully explained to Alex. But she always has this weird smirk when she does it, hence the creeping out remark. 

Kara's eyes dart to her mobile, making sure the alarm is still set before crawling over towards Alex who backs away. "No no no, don't even start with something like that Kara. We agreed! Plus not all of us get to be as refreshed and bouncy as you this time of the day." She grumbles and prepares their breakfast while Kara pouts and gets up for good. 

"Sorry.. i just.. sorry.." She finishes in a mumble, it was a stupid idea to begin with. There is not much time, it is too early and ... they weren't supposed to keep this going. That was part of the plan, no more crutches, no more.. play. Today is the big day and she should be able to do it on her own.. but doubt is ever present in the young woman.  


Strong arms wrap around her, dispersing everything else. "It's going to be ok." Alex's voice is much quieter this time, warmer too and Kara closes her eyes.. only to snap them open when Alex releases her abruptly and sends her off with a sharp slap of the newspaper against her butt. "Now get ready, you don't want to be late on your first day." 

"Thanks.." Kara whispers as she hurries to the bathroom, causing Alex to roll her eyes. 'Last one Kiddo.'

* * *

# Monday 07:22, CatCo Worldwide Media

'I can do this, i can do this, i can do this...' The moment she enters the elevator and pushes the button for the top floor it all becomes too real for her. 'I'm going to be the personal assistant of Cat Grant. Everyone will see me.. all the time.. oh god.' Her grip on the boiling hot Late tightens and it starts to spill over her hand. 'Right, focus!' 

A deft left hand fishes for a handkerchief and cleans up the mess the nervous right one had created. "I'm detecting elevated stress levels, can i assist in any.." The flat voice in her ear is interrupted with a flick of blue eyes. 'Sorry Brainy.. but i have to keep my act together, listening to voices in my head? Not really helping.'

The elevators ding sounds overly dramatic. Kara sets her jaw and squares her shoulders as if she was facing one of Alex's trials. 'This can't be harder then the time i had to .. oh fuck.' The second Kara is out of the door she barrels into one of her coworkers, resulting in a high pitched yelp from the poor guy. "Sorry! I'm .. so so sorry.. you .. there.. oh Winn right?" 

She had met him before, during the two week orientation period and they had clicked. He was a very likable guy that put her at ease, which was rare for Kara and she promised herself to work hard to keep up a good working relationship with him. 

"M-miss Danvers? Wow, did you play football in College?" He rubs his shoulder as he gets up, refusing the offered hand.. most likely to appear tougher then he actually is. 'Why do guys keep doing that? And especially this one, i mean after that shriek it's pretty much pointless to act butch.' Kara briefly wonders as she keeps her practiced smile at 100%. 

"Nah, i must have caught you at a bad angle .. or something, and it's Kara remember?" On the last day of orientation the two of them had exchanged numbers, as coworkers ought to do, he had insisted with a sheepish smile.

"Y-yeah sure, Kara. Miss Grant is not here yet.. which is, you know, good. You best get ready, she should be here any minute." He points towards the private elevator near them. "Right." Kara bows slightly and hurries of to her desk. Her desk.. the words hold so much meaning for her. 'This is going to be awesome. I will have a normal, interesting job, i will have friends and a boss. A daily routine like everyone else!' 

She fights to keep the grin from her lips, reminding herself that showing too much emotions was one of the nogos she had learned during her orientation. There were quite a few nogos when it came to Cat Grant, and at least 10 of them had to do with coffee. Which is why Kara had superheated the cup on the way up. 'Got to keep ahead of the curve any way I can hm?'

  


* * *

Coffee in one hand, a stack of paper in the other Kara takes position next to the personal elevator. She had heard a unique staccato of heels a second ago, which means Cat Grant had entered the building and was about to come up. 'I can do this, i can do this..' She keeps her eyes staring pointly at her feet and holds out the coffee towards the elevator door. In the background Gwinn mumbles something about overdoing it a bit and strolls off.

The Ding of the elevator sounds through the office and everything is silent for a second before everyone remembers they are supposed to look busy whenever the boss is around, especially on a monday where she can be extra grumpy. Without looking up Kara holds out the coffee in the exact direction Cat is standing in front of her. "Good morning, here is your Coffee Miss Grant." 

A humm answers and the cup is gone, which is Kara's cue to trail behind the CEO. "I have prepared the schedule for the day and there are three different proposals from the arts department for the exhibition on Tuesday. Next i got.." Kara goes on about every single piece of today's agenda, making sure to make short breaks in case her boss has something to add. But Cat only hums or gives short answers which makes Kara nervous.

"And that should be all, is there anything else i can do for you Miss Grant?" She takes a step back, ready to be dismissed and flee back to her desk. "Yes Kiera." Kara is unsure whether or not she should correct her and settles on a eloquent. "Umm.." Which is, well.. not really something you want to be doing around the Queen of Media. "I expect my personal to be a little more vocally adept then the average monkey Kiera, do speak up if you have something to say. If not you should keep those chubby lips closed."

"Yes.. I-i mean no Miss Grant." Kara mumbles, mistake number two. "And i don't like to repeat myself, SPEAK UP! You went through orientation right? Not that i expect that brat of an ex assistant to do a good job about it." Cat stalks over to a cabinet and pulls out a bottle of aspirin. "Now shoo.. you are giving me a headache with all that fumbling and mumbling." Manicured fingers whirl through the air in a dismissive gesture. 

Fueled by this movement the assistant gathers up the papers she needs and makes a dash for the glas door. Kara escapes the lions den and flops down on her chair with a stupefied grin. "Cat got your tongue?" Winn pipes in, his desk is next to hers to ensure quick response time in case something technical goes wrong in Cat's office. He chuckles at his pun and attempts to softly punch her in the shoulder.. which fails when Kara doesn't budge in time with his movement and he hurts himself. "What the.. is your blouse made of titanium or something?" 

"It's more likely that your just a wuss, you did pull out the thumb this time right." A deep voice booms over Winns shoulder and Kara looks over from the pouting Techy to an attractive tall man that grins at them both. "Kara this is James, one of our photographers, we are supposed to be best buddies.. but i guess that doesn't fly today." He motions between the two of them to make the introduction. "Aww com on man, you know i'm only teasin." He stretches out his hand towards Kara, eyes all twinkly and teeth shining. 'There sure are a lot of good looking people working for Miss Grant.. i wonder if that's one of the requirements to work her..' Kara smiles in return, the same smile she had shown Winn before. 

"Wow thats a .. uhh.. nice handshake you got there." James leans back and sits down on the desk next Winn who is done pouting by now. Instead a smirk covers his lip. "So it's not just me being a wuss." Kara is about to roll her eyes at this male spiel in front of her when she feels .. something. It makes her skin tingle and her senses reach out trying to find out what's wrong. 

"Oh! Umm.. guys you better get working." She hisses once she finds the source of her queziness, it's Cat Grant burning holes through her glass walls towards the trio. With a squeak from Winn and a throaty chuckle following the squeak the two of them leave Kara to her work. 'Not even 8am and i already screwed up.. four times now?' 

"Six times." A flat voice corrects her inside her head. Startled Kara focuses on the papers in front of her, so now she doesn't look like a madwoman who stares off into space with a shocked impression but rather a madwoman who stares at her work.. with a shocked impression.. which makes a lot more sense, especially in this office. 

'Brainy! I deactivated you for a reason!' A panicked glance towards Cat's office and the nearby other desks reveal nothing out of the ordinary, no gaping or gossiping coworkers. "Yes, but in line of your repeated slipups and the inability to properly account all of them i have reactivated myself." 

Kara is flabbergasted at this, mostly because it should be impossible for the machine to do so and also because she has to mask her own thoughts now and push away all the images that flood through her brain about robots that take over the world. She shouldn't have made it a priority to watch all those sci fi movies when she landed on earth.. but it was one of the things she shared with Alex, and the cuddling is always nice so.. 

"Now is not the time to have inappropriate thoughts about.." The voice is cut off abruptly as Kara tears out the little device stuck in her right ear. The motion is accompanied by a sick feeling in her stomach as the thought interface disengages, but her anger easily makes up for it. 'Damn that machine, i wonder when it developed this snippy attitude.' 

She stores the device in her purse, unsure on how to deal with it later but now she would simply have to do without. The risk of it interfering with her was to high and the thought of some immensely powerful ai monitoring her every move was kind of ... well... Kara would have to lie when she says its disturbing to her. 'I mean it's not like i complain when Alex.. oh.. darn it Brainy is right.' There is a frizeling sound coming from her purse but Kara snaps it shut and shoves it into one of the drawers of her desk. 

Kara could not help it, ever since she arrived on earth Alex had been the only one she could lean on. She was the one who listened to her like an adult instead of a teenager, she was the one who helped to manage her powers. She even came up with unconventional ways to make sure Kara stayed in control of them and constantly challenged her to improve upon herself. 

Kara owed everything to Alex, even her sanity. So it came only naturally that whenever Kara was disturbed her thought turned to Alex. 'But it has to stop.. we agreed.. I'm supposed to be able to stand on my own feet now.' 

The next nine hours are spent focused, for the most part at least, on the tasks at hand. After the initial shock of being confronted with Cat Grant it started to become easier to be around the gruff CEO and Kara even received a half heard "Good." from the older woman. But that might have been her imagination. 


	2. Yellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow means slow.
> 
> or
> 
> How not to react to your boss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still WIP, come back around the 27.04. for a more fleshed out version.

## 

+4y +8m +14d

# Friday in a local coffeeshop 1232

"The regular?" The lady behind the counter asks and Kara nods in return. It's been an interesting first week for her and she is not looking forward to her weekend because it meant dealing with an empty apartment. Alex had to leave the country yesterday and is not bound to return within two weeks. 

'Then again i have noone to keep me from using my powers for fun, maybe even go on a short patrol of the neighbourhood and look for someone in trouble' A sly grin appears on her lips.

"That look does not suit your position as Cat's PA, aren't you supposed to be hunched over and sobbing?" The light and friendly banter startles Kara, but she quickly recovers. 

"Miss Lane." Is all she can squeeze out however, she had only met the woman once when Major Lucy Lane had visited Cat Grant to talk about a military contract. Kara was impressed by the way the brunette stood up to her boss and surprised to later find out that she and James had been an item once. 

They did not fit that well together, especially considering how focused Lucy was on her military career and how .. well .. stuck James was in his. But maybe that was the reason they broke up. Winn had made an ominous hand gesture as they talked about it which left Kara more confused then before.

"Can I .. uh.. get you something too?" Kara indicates towards the counter. 

"Nah i'm perfectly capable of ordering my own late, unlike other people." She quips and Kara can't help but smile an honest smile at that. "And you can call me Lucy, whenever i hear someone say Miss Lane i see a picture of my award winning sister and have to grumble."

"She does not.. i mean .. Miss Grant is very busy, it makes no sense for her to waste time and i love to help." Even though Kara likes Lucy and her cocky attitude it's hard for her to express herself around the Major. Especially when it comes to defending Miss Grant, something Kara had tried again and again over the course of the past week. 

Winn and James, both of whom she got almost a friendship like relationship with in this short amount of time, kept blinking and asking her if everything is alright every time Kara had tried to rationalize Cat's behaviour. 

In the end she had stopped trying, at least out loud. It would do her no good to alienate her coworkers, no matter how narrow minded they seemed to be. 'Well at least in that regard, they are fun to be around, always bantering and poking fun. It's so carefree..' Kara muses for a second.

"I know Kara." Lucy laughs and tries to place a friendly hand on her shoulder, but Kara flinches slightly and the hand falls back down. "I was joking. Of course you can't expect a CEO of a billion dollar company to get there own food or drink, but you know what i mean right? She is overplaying her card a bit."

Thankfully Kara is spared an answer that might have been misunderstood when lady behind the counter hands her a small brown bag and a full four slot cupholder. This distraction gives her enough time to come up with a more friendly answer. "Yeah, maybe a bit." Lucy grins again, the slipup with the shoulder already forgotten. 'I have to stop doing that, people touch all the time.. it's only natural to them.' 

"Well you better get going before her majesties coffee gets less then boiling hot. See you around." They exchange smiles and Kara nods before hurrying back to CatCo. She likes Lucy, as well as James and Winn, but it sucks that everyone keeps jabbing at Miss Grant who has such a big burden to bear and still looks out for her people. Sure she doesn't do it in the most obvious or well mannered way, but it's there if you only look hard enough.

  


* * *

#  Meanwhile at CatCo Worldwide Media

# (=_=) #

Cat Grant smiles before she can catch herself and stares at her mobile. Her son Carter keeps sending her emojis scattered throughout the day and she has to guess what he means to say. It's a silly game but one Cat wouldn't miss for the world. 'Good thing Kara is not here, she would've picked up on that smile. 

Like a rainbowbunnybloodhound that one, sniffing out all the happy go lucky feelings.' The past week has been the trial period for her new assistant, at least for Cat, the official one last for another 3.

Normally by this point the assistant would either storm out sobbing or assimilate into the pool of coworkers and start to talk behind her bosses back. Kara had done neither which peeks her interest. 'Sure she is obnoxiously shy and cute, especially that one time Carter was here.. ugh.. i almost had to puke.' 

Her lips twitch despite her cruel thoughts, she simply doesn't want to admit that it had warmed her heart to see her equally shy boy so relaxed and happy around someone he barely knew. She glares through her glass walls to make sure no one is looking before replying to her son. 

# Sleepy? #

# Yeah or rather bored, can Carlo drive me over later? I want to talk with Kara again, she is great. Do you know she reads comics too? #

'Of course she does, they are almost the same emotional age.' Cat's eyes roll and her fingers tip on their own accord. # Alright. #

# *\o/* #

'Is that.. a nose? Or.. ' She stops and looks up from her mobile, but only by a fraction to make sure she can see without being seen, a very important tactic in office warfare. In front of the glass door is her assistant, one hand on the handle, the other holding a cup of presumably coffee. She doesn't enter tho, as if she was waiting for something. "Now Kiera! I don't have all day!"

An instant later the coffee is on her desk and the assistant retreating towards her desk. 'If I didn't know better i'd think she was waiting to spare me the humiliation of being caught funtexting. ... Hm...' 

Cat's eyes follow the blonde all the way to her desk and stay with her as she keeps working fast and efficiently. After a few minutes of contemplation Cat decides on a course of action that could prove entertaining and practical in equal measures. 'Why wait another three weeks right?'

"Kiera!" She does not scream, but its loud enough to cross her vast office and pierce the wall. Her eyes have yet to leave Kara and they narrow as Cat watches her assistants every move. Does she jump up startled? Is anything being spilled? Is there panic or anxiety in her stride? Cat has to say no to each of them and all other questions that bubble up in her mind.

'Being a well trained labradoodle is not everything..' She thinks and flicks an accusing finger at her cup of coffee. "It's bitter." Which is true, it's coffee after all and Kara knows exactly how Miss Grants likes her coffee so this should make no sense to her. 'Let's see how you deal with this.'

"Yes Miss Grant, right away." Kara grabs the cup, bows slightly and makes a dash for the elevator.

'So whats your plan, you go down to the cantina and get one from there? That won't work, the coffee there is horrible, but if she gets across the street to the coffeeshop it will take a couple of minutes. Minutes that she should spend on working on the draft on her desk.' With a wicked grin she turns to her computer and calls up the security camera footage. 'Ah there she is, heading outside the building are you? Well well..' 

Cat gets up and walks over to her balcony. She can barely make out the people on the ground far below her but there is a distinct line forming in front of a certain coffeeshop. "Perfect.." She purrs, way to pleased with how the story unfolds. 'She is way to shy to get ahead in the line, best she realize that now and i can cut her down before I waste any more time on her.'

# :'-) #

# Is this because you get to talk about comics with someone or is it another burger day at school? #

She is watching his diet like a hawk because she wants to spare him the trouble she had at his age. The elitist school she put him in had other priorities it seems, relaxing their attitude in lieu of more popular choices. Cat is about to send another text when she feels it again. 'Oh for gods sake..' She peeks up and sees ..her, not three minutes after she had left her office. 

Kara standing ramrod straight in front of her door, hand on the handle, coffee in the other. 'She must've gone to the cantina after all.'Instead of calling her in Cat uses this opportunity to test her earlier theory. She neatly slides away her mobile after a quick message to Carter that she is busy and resumes working on her computer.

"Your coffee Miss Grant." The voice gives her goosebumps, she had never heard someone speak in such a reverent tone to her without being sarcastic. Especially not after being send on a pointless errand and politely waiting outside her door to avoid embarrassment to her position as the boss. It was almost perfect, which further fueled Cat's scepticism.

"Wait." She snapped before Kara had a chance to turn around and leave. Picking up the cup with a slow controlled movement she puts it to her lips and takes a sip, fully expecting the horrid brew from the cantina.. but it's not. It is perfect, just like every day, just like the one 5 Minutes ago had been. 'What the hell?' 

Surprise flickers over her eyes only to be replaced with triumph. "The receipt please, i would like to know which of the imbeciles over there made this one." A lie of course, she wants to fluster Kara into acknowledging that she had simply reheated her old coffee, or something to that extent.

"Of course Miss Grant." She hands her the slip of paper and waits, trying her best not to let her proud smile shine through her well kept exterior. Kara is almost bursting at this point, eager to see the reaction on Cat's face. She knew this had been a test, and she loved those, even if she was cheating with her superpowers. It reminded her off.. 'Gah, stop it Kara.'

'My my.. she did it, somehow this little wallflower barged her way into the coffee shop and got a coffee.. for me. Well for herself, i would have ripped her head of otherwise.. but still. Who would have thought she had it in her?' 

Cat licks her lips to buy herself a second to come up with a reply. She feels like thanking the girl, but that would not do.. not if she wants to keep her in line and on her toes. 

'A compromise maybe? I will thank her but stare her down at the same time.. yes that should work, i made that techweasel whimper one time doing that.' 

Karas eyes are fixed firmly on the desk on front of her, it's a position she had adapted during orientation and no one had reprimanded her for it. Some of the coworkers had rolled their eyes but the lady in charge applauded her for going the extra mile. 

She is more comfortable this way, eye contact is not hard for her per se, she can keep anyones stare when she wants to but with certain people it is different. As soon as she comes along someone whom she respects and looks up to she slips into a familiar role and Cat certainly qualifies.

"Kiera." The voice is firm and silence follows, Kara takes it as her cue to look up. Stern greenbrown eyes bore into her and Kara is rooted to the spot, even more so then before. "Well this one is not absolutely horrible, run along now" The timbre is dismissive but all Kara hears is the hidden acknowledgement of what she had done and Kara simply melts. 

Her blue eyes oozing over with gratitude she whispers out a "Thank you Miss." that is barely audible before making a beeline for her desk, leaving a absolutely stumped Cat Grant behind. 'What's wrong with that girl?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No i did not forget "Grant" in the last paragraph =)


	3. Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green means go.
> 
> or
> 
> How to weasel properly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 26.04 Still a work in progress, check back in day or two. Still looking for anyone willing to point out errors.

## 

+4y +8m +14d

# Friday at CatCo Top Floor 1512

"Miss Grant your son is on his way up." Kara announces over the intercom and Cat glances in her direction. The CEO is well aware that Carter is only here because of the juvenile woman smiling back at her, which in itself is disturbing enough for Cat to look away.

'She is so... off, is it such a good idea to let her play with Carter?' This question has been on Cat's mind ever since the blond had made puppy eyes at her after what was supposed to be a metaphorical kick to the lower parts. 'Last time she acted normal around him, maybe i simply make her nervous and she reacts .. differently to me then to other people.'

Standing up she makes sure her outfit ist wrinkle free before striding towards the private elevator. 'Ugh i should not worry this much, they will be in the same room as me and it's not like she is going to say anything inappropriate while he is around, unless she is keen on being fired.'

"Kara!! Did you see the new Magmaman comic?!" Carter slithers right past Cat and towards Kara's desk. "Hello to you too, how was your day at school. Oh terrific, mine wasn't half bad either.." Cat's voice is dripping with sarcasm as she mumbles to herself.

"Hi Carter.. yeah but .. umm .." Kara makes a motion towards Cat and the boy ducks his head. "Oh yeah, sorry mom, i was just .. excited and forgot." He sports a crooked grin and looks way to cute for a boy his age. 'He propably knows it too, manipulative just like me, good boy.' Cat can't help but smile at both of them and stalks back into her office, followed by two giggeling comicfans.

"This is so freakin weird." Winn comments as the glass wall to Cat's office turn opaque to give them some privacy. James nods in agreement. "Yep, it's like she is a totally different person."

"Yeah... wait.. who are you talking about. the shy wallflower that suddenly turns into a gossiping teenager or the ladydragon that ... smiles?" Winn points towards the door and is not suprised when James answers with another simple "Yep."

The two of them spend way to much time together, especially considering James should not even be on the top floor at all. He is a groundpounder, but recently he got some decent shots and Winn argued that he did better work when he was up here, which was true. So instead of being stuck in his tiny cubicle downstairs he switches back and forth depending on the mood of their o so volatile boss.

"What do you think her deal is?" Winn prods. "Kara? I honestly can't tell, but she seems like a nice enough girl, especially in this line of work." The Techy nods in agreement. "Almost a little .. too nice don't you think?"

"Oh boy, what is it this time. Is she some alien that hasn't properly adapted yet? Like that chick from Mars Attacks." James chuckles and pauses his work to fully concentrate on the story that is about to spill out of his nerdy friend.

* * *

"So that's when Magmaman picks him up and throws him through this huuge Skyscraper." Kara is sitting on the ground crosslegged in front of Carter who is staring at her like she is made out of candy. Her arms and voice give the story life and Cat smirks behind her cup of tea.

'She might have odd mannerisms, but she can certainly entertain kids.' They have been at it for about an hour now and there are no signs of exhaustion on either side.

About twenty minutes in Cat had reminded Kara that there was proper work to do, but the young storyteller simply smiled and informed her boss that she already took care of it beforehand to have more time with Carter.

'Ugh.. she is so... weak and cute, i want to strangle her until the rainbows stop spewing out of her mouth.' It was not fair, she knows that, but Cat is irked by the way Kara can weasel her way into Carters heart in a matter of hours and at the same time keep up her almost flawless work.

'I need to come up with another plan, the coffee thing was to easy.' Her eyes take on a glint as she conjures up all the possible ways she could fluster the girl.

"SMASH! He breaks his fall on a ginormous pile of bricks and then he.." A sigh escapes Cat and she settles back down on her chair to get some work done. 'Maybe some other time..'

* * *

"No." 

"What do you mean no? That's brilliant!"

"No..."

"Pff.." 

  


"..."

"..."

  


"Ok how about she was held captive in a catholic sect that.."

"No!"

"Oh com on!"


	4. Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work work work.
> 
> or
> 
> How everyone spends their freetime.

## 

+4y +8m +14d

# Friday at CatCo Top Floor 1943

"But mooom.." Carter is pushing his luck and he knows it. Kara and him had spent hours now recapturing stories of Magmaman and surfing the net for funny videos. Cat gritted her teeth and let them have this time, despite her ever growing headache.

"No Carter, it's enough." She is rubbing her temples and contemplates the bottle of amber liquid that is standing nearby. But Carter is here, and he keeps her in check. She does not wan't to act like her mom and be seen swinging a martini glass wherever she went. That's not really a childhood memory any kid should have.

"And you Kiera.."

Her eyes bore into the blond. "You.. ugh." Frustrated with her inability to insult the girl with her boy present she grabs her clutch and marches towards the elevator without looking back.

"She's not always this grumpy." Carter says but Kara raises an eyebrow and both start laughing. "No.. no sorry that was mean. I'm sure she can be a nice person, she just can't show it around here you know? It's important work."

He nods and shoulders his backpack. "This was awesome, you acted like a proper superhero would. I wish i could be one."

"Tell you what, next time you play Magmaman and i will be Dr. Evil alright?" He beams and is about to quote a line from the comic when a sharp "Carter!" is being flung in their direction.

"Bye!" He yelps and rushes towards the elevator. Before the doors close Kara and Cat lock eyes for a second and Kara does a little wave of her hand. "She is so weird.." Cat mumbles half to herself.

"Yeah, isn't she great?!" Carter blurts out, completely oblivious to Cat's true meaning.

Back in the office Kara flops down at her desk, slightly exhausted despite her superpower. 'That was fun! But .. now i have to make up for it.' She sighs and stares at the workload she had postponed to spent time with the kid. 

* * *

# Friday at Scooters Top Floor 1927

"So what's up with Lucy?" Winn asks in between swigs of his light Beer, they went to a local bar after their shift. A shift that took a little longer then it should've because they too had to catch up with work they delayed.. well Winn delayed. It was him after all that spent almost an hour coming up with crazy theories about their new coworker.

"Hm?" Of course James plays dumb, he is not keen on discussing his ex. Especially considering how it ended, with his male ego crushed and her ... well... 

"Come on, she drops in out of the blue. Not once but a couple times now, even hangs around the coffee shop. I thought that she moved on to greener ... pastures." Smug about his pun Winn takes another swig and James is this close to punching him for the lude comment. Instead he calms down and stares at the light beer bottle with disdain. 

"You should stop drinking this stuff if you want to pick someone up around here." He motions around them, as if to prove his point but Winn shakes his head. "That's exactly why i'm drinking it! It makes me stand out, and shows how much i care about my body and well being."

James snorts and makes another grab for the peanuts. Winn may overstep the line of good taste from time to time, but only when no one else is around. 'He is a good guy, no matter how much he tries to act to the contrary. But he ought to get some payback hm?' 

"Soo.. you spent an awful lot of time coming up with theories about Kara back there." James hides his smirks behind his bottle. 'He is so smitten with her. Of course i could tell him right away that there is no chance for him.. but he had to make that joke didn't he?'

* * *

# Friday in Dubai 2328 National City Time

"Welcome to Dubai International Airport." Alex looks up at the multilingual sign and wonders, not for the first time, if she should have found another way to give Kara some space. It seemed like a godsend at first, Kara was supposed to start her new job and Alex Boss had offered her a simple but strenuous job. 

After deciding that Kara should not have her around to rely on, at least the first couple of days, she lept at the opportunity. Now however, after days of travel she is having doubts. The last flight was especially grueling due to the chatty lady to her left and a guy to her right who overdosed on cologne.

She holds up her papers and scrunches her eyes. At least 3 more stops before she reaches her destination, another flight, a train and finally a flimsy Bus that had seen better days. And that is on top of the the last days already spent pretty much in a state of constant transit. 'Ugh.. i should have visited mom. That would be equally annoying but at least close by.'

BZZZ BZZZZ

Making a grab for her mobile she realizes that the sound came from someone else. 'Oh .. right. I Should check mine.' She turns it on and is greeted with a grinning Kara.. and a whole lot of messages on whatsapp.

# Do you know someone called Lucy Lane? She is a Major in the military and keeps meeting with Miss Grant. # Friday 12:45

# Quick!! How can i skip a line FAST? # Friday 12:56

# Nevermind.. got it. Hihihi *evilgrin* # Friday 12:57

# omg omg omg ogm!!! # Friday 13:01

# I got her the coffee in time! And she was so ummm and i was like squeeek and.. # Friday 13:01

# Oh... no.. i kinda .. umm.. called her Miss tho, but she will not understand why i said that right, RIGHT? # Friday 13:02

# Hrmpf.. i guess you are to busy catching bad guys huh? # Friday 13:08

# Carter is coming over, that's her son, oh god this is going to be so awkward.. # Friday 14:25

# Phew, it wasn't awkward at all! Well maybe only a tiny bit, but i guess she is always a bit grumpy when someone else is playing with Carter. He is such a good boy and likes Magmaman =D. # Friday 19:48

# Please send me a message when you got the time.. I know you are busy and all but.. you know.. # Friday 20:17

# ... # Friday 23:10

# n8 # Friday 23:19

'Oh boy..' Kara has always been clingy, it was on Alex now to be strong and stabilize the relationship back to something more akin to friends and quasi sisters instead of their way to complex mix of roles.

They had slowly stumbled into territory that was not altogether accepted by society.. but Kara needed control over her power and the confidence to survive in this world. Both came from Alex unique style of training.

Images of a blindfolded Kara that fends of attacks flash before her eye. That had been one of the steps, building up trust. First to trust Alex and then, later on, to trust herself thanks to the subtle lessons taught. 

It had seemed so innocent at the time, but as they moved further and further ahead in their training of Karas powers something.. shifted. It did not turn sexual, not really, but it was not wholly innocent either. More like an extension of their trust and platonic love.

"Miss" had started there, somewhere in the midst of it all. Kara had most likely found one of the books Alex kept hidden away. 'And now she blabbed it out to her boss? Wow.. poor Karbear.'

Alex is torn, but in the end she types a short message before heading off in search of her luggage.

# Everything is going to be alright, see you in a few days. # 


	5. Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Down.
> 
> or
> 
> How sucky a weekend can be.

## 

+4y +8m +15d

# Saturday in the Danvers Apartment 2317

"Are you sure Brainy?" Even to Kara the question sounds a bit silly once it left her mouth. Her Brain InterActive Construct is the latest model, well .. the only model now .. but still. When it makes a statement it is bound to be well founded.

"Yes, the human eye can not capture your movement in any manner that would allow recognition. As long as you keep moving no one will know who you are." The flat voice drones on as Kara jumps slightly up and down, giddy with the prospect of going out hunting bad guys like Magmaman would if her were real.

"However, this could start rumors about a being with powers beyond the human range which is explicitly again Alex Danvers wi.." The bodiless voice fizzles out as Kara deactivates the program.

"Yes yes, i know." The blond huffs and slips into her workout cloth. 'Alright.. i can do this. I'll simply jog through the seedier part of town and listen for trouble. If i spot something amiss i'll superspeed behind whoever is causing trouble and snap them KO with a finger, easy peasy!'

With a spring in her steps Kara leaves the apartment feeling only a little bit guilty for going against Alex wishes. They had gone over this argument soo many times that Kara understood all the problems that may or may not come up once she showed herself to the world. But Alex simply doesn't understand how it feels to stand by while people are getting hurt.

'And as long as i do it only every couple of weeks no one should suspect anything. Hell last time i flew all the way over to Gotham City to have some fun.' Which is only partially true, Kara went over to sneak a peak at the local vigilante that had showed up there not long ago.

'Oh.. maybe i should go back there tonight too? I mean with the redhaired Batlady around noone will mind a few extra bad guys that show up giftwrapped at the police station right?' Kara had been very impressed with the Batwoman, especially considering she is only a mere human.

'Nah.. i have to do something around here, National City needs me. Gotham already got their guardian.' Kara picks up the pace, careful to keep up the appearance of a late night jogger.

It doesn't take long for her to hear the telltale sounds of a mugging coming from a block away. She ducks into an alley und superspeeds towards the scuffle with a broad grin on her face.

"Shut up and give me your wallet!" Kara can see a man in the light of a nearby streetlamp. He is in his 40s and looks haggard, like someone who keeps working double shifts. His hand is shaking slightly as he points a revolver at the panicked woman in front of him.

Kara waits a second for the woman to glance into her bag and rushes towards the man. A tap against the skull is all he needs to topple to the ground. With a swoosh of displaced air Kara is back in her hiding spot before the woman can look back up.

'Told you Brainy, easy peasy.' Karas breast swells with pride, it may only be a robbery but at least she is finally doing something to help the city.

The woman clutches her bag close and furrows her eyebrows as the man in front of her crumples to the ground. Embolden by the defenseless pose of the erstwhile attacker she slowly get's closer, as if to make sure he is out of it.

'It's alright lady, he won't harm you anym..' Karas train of thought is harshly interrupted by the sight of the woman repeatedly kicking the unconscious man on the ground. ' ..more. What in Rao's name is going on?' 

Kara stares in shock as the woman kicks him again for good measure before crouching down to check his pockets.

'This isn't .. what should i? Umm..' Unsure on how to proceed Kara xrays the man to make sure he is not in any life threatening danger. Once that's done she steps into the light and makes her presence known. "Is.. is everything ok?"

The other woman simply runs away, shoving whatever she took from the man into her bag. 'This is not what i had in mind for today.' Kara mentally grumbles as she carefully picks the man up to carry him to the nearest hospital.

Of course she could've catched the thief, but Kara is not sure how she would have to proceed after that. The woman stole something, that's true. But only after the victim of the theft threatened her.

'So.. it was only fair to rob him? No.. not really and especially not after kicking a helpless man. Whom i knocked out.. ugh.. I should have faced her and dragged her to the nearest police station, but then the name Kara Danvers would be in the system.' 

'What about the next crime? I can't keep showing up at the police with criminals in tow.. but without a witness the officers wouldn't know what to charge them with.' She let's out a sigh and drops the man carefully next to the emergency room.

'But that was a freak accident right? I mean that's not what normally happens. Let's try again.' With a somewhat dampened spirit Kara goes back to jogging through the sparsely populated streets of National City.

* * *

Carter is finally asleep and Cat sits in her favorite lounge chair on the balcony sipping a glass of scotch. There is always work to be done, even on the weekend but at least she can take breaks and delegate some of the work to others.

For now Cat Gras is content to simply .. be. To stare up to the stars and let her mind drift, without caring about who might call or what deadline must be met.

The last couple of weeks have been tough for the Tribune and Cat had to fire quite a lot of people to keep the numbers balanced. 'I should have started my enterprise in Gotham City.. all they have to do lately is post the picture of this silly batsign on the frontpage and they are set.'

Pursed lips lean against the glass for a second before taking another sip. 'Nah, that will not last for long. If this vigilante keeps going at it the national guard will move in and smoke her out. Quite the spectacle i'm sure, but i have to think about the long run not some two month freakshow that burns itself out a few weeks after the death or capture of that silly woman.'

Two blocks of ice sway in lazy circles inside the glass, it's soothing to watch and Cat's thoughts drift on. 'There i go, thinking about work again..' She huffs and turns away.

'That silly wave.. why did she do that? We aren't friends, not even friendly. I'm her boss for gods sake.' Another sip. 'She is disturbed, it's as simple as that. Something is .. wrong .. with her, i should fire her.'

An image of Carters broad smiles comes to mind and Cat lips turn into a thin line. // "Yeah, isn't she great?!" // 

'That she's good with Carter is no excuse, quite the contrary. What if she .. i don't know, attacks him in a bout of .. rage? Heh, no, that sounds beyond silly. She might be .. weird but Kara Danvers doesn't strike me as violent.'

Slightly sluggish hands tip at the mobile in her lap. A wall of text appears showing the log files of all the employees that work on her floor. 'Busy little bee that one.. she is perfect for this job.'

More slow taps, followed by lazy hums. According to Cat's Data Kara Danvers has been screened, has impeccable references for someone her age and shows no signs of mental instability according to the psych test.

"Pfff.. so what? It's me?" She mumbles to herself before realizing what she's doing. Ashamed about this lapse she sets down her glas and grabs another blanket over her shoulders. 'Figures.. i finally find the ideal assistant and what do i do? I get suspicious.. ugh that sounds just like mother..'

"Never enough is it mother?" Cat giggles and fishes for her glas. "Always more, always better.. you would be suspicious too, yes.. you'd hate her." Another mumble follows, followed by a sip.

* * *

The evening had turned out fairly well for Kara, she was able to help a handful of people without any moral dilemma involved, but almost got caught twice despite being carefull not to be seen.

The main problem went beyond staying hidden, the whole rescue has to make some kind of sense or someone was bound to piece the stories together and get the police or media involved.

It was risky but, at least for Kara, definitely worth it. Tonight she could sleep well knowing that she did some small part in keeping the people safe and maybe, just maybe someday she should go all out.

Across town another woman was also heading for a restful, albeit alcohol induced, sleep. Cat has abandoned her lounge chair and now shuffles towards her bedroom, she is not going to fall asleep out there again.

Carter had found her on the balcony a couple of month back, it was humiliating to say the least. She doesn't think he saw the bottle but still it doesn't make for good parenting to appear so disheveled.

'Hmmm much better.' Cat sinks into her bed and sighs as she stretches her weary body. As she drifts off to sleep she conjures up plans to test Kara some more. 'Just to be sure it's ok to keep her.' She smirks. 'It's not like she seems to mind.'


	6. Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mine.
> 
> or
> 
> What comes around goes around.

## 

+4y +8m +17d

# Monday in the Cantina at CatCo 1324

"You should come, next time i mean." James finishes his story. They had spent the better part of the evening at the same bar trying to find someone for Winn. It had been as much fun as it has been fruitless.

"Sure, why not, i could be a winggirl.. or whatever." Kara smirks, she enjoys the light banter with these two. At first she had been reluctant to spent more time with them but after a weekend on her own she could do with more social interaction.

Winn and James on the other hand feel a bit awkward around her, especially considering the amount of time they had spent talking about Kara behind her back. Well.. Winn mostly, but still.

"Or we could help y-you out, i mean.. not that you need h-help finding a guy.. " James has to suppress a grin at Winn's 'smooth' attempt of flirtation. 

"Oh.. no thanks, i'm good." Kara quips and digs into her steak and fries.

"You.. already got a boyfriend?" Winn ventures and James gives up all pretense and grins broadly, knowing what is about to happen.. payback, a heart shattering rebuttal of Winn's silly crush.

Kara however simply shakes her head, her mouth to stuffed for a proper answer. Disappointed James grumbles something, he was sure she would say something about a girlfriend, or not being interested in guys. Which would have been the perfect retribution for Winn's joke about Lucy the other day.

They eat in silence for a while after that. Winn unsure on how to proceed, James trying to come up with another way of getting revenge and Kara content on destroying her food.

"You must work out a lot.." The Techy points towards the second empty plate and Kara scolds herself for this slipup. Normally she is very careful when eating outside of their apartment but somehow she felt comfortable enough to let it slide this time.

"Uh.. yes.. i jog and swim a lot." She says maybe a bit too defensively.

"Yeah, it shows." Winn smiles, completely missing how uncomfortable the blonde is acting. "You certainly don't look like an ordinary assistant."

"Umm.. thanks?" Kara replies but is quickly distracted by a certain brown haired Army Major. 

The puzzled look on her face does not go unnoticed by her two coworkers. "Ohh look who's here James, i wonder if she has an appointment with Miss Grant." Winn waggles his eyebrows suggestively at his friend.

Kara, oblivious to the teasing simply says no, she knows Cat Grant schedule better then the CEO herself. Before either of them got the time to question her appearance Lucy stand next to them.

She nods towards James, getting a curt nod back in return. Then her focus is solely on the blond assistant. "Hello Kara, i was wondering if i could pick your brain about something later on. Maybe over dinner?"

James looks shellshocked and Winn is about to laugh out loud, that is until he realizes where this could be headed.

"Sure i would love to." Kara smiles and Winn chokes.

"Great!" Lucy smiles broadly. "When can i pick you up?"

"Oh.. right, umm I don't know how long I'll have to work today, could you give me your number?"

Lucy pulls out her business card and quickly adds another number. "There you go, see you later." She beams another smile at Kara and saunters off after saying curt goodbyes to Winn and James.

"Yay, free food." Kara grins and looks towards her table neighbours. Instead of any kind of response to her light joke she gets blank faces.

"Something the matter?" She asks, slightly concerned about their reaction. 

Winn mumbles something about "Certainly no boyfriend then..." while James has his face buried in his hands, cursing his luck on how his revenge could have backfired in such a way.

"What?!" Kara squeals as her panic level rises. 

"Umm you know what just happened right?" Winn asks carefully, as if speaking to a toddler.

"Yes, Miss Lane wants to discuss something over dinner, most likely the military contract she and Miss Grant have been arguing about for a week now." 

"Yeahno.. maybe, but you know that she is.. well, gay?"

"So?"

"James, a little help here.. she doesn't get it."

"No man, just drop it."

* * *

Half an hour later Kara is sitting at her desk, preparing a portfolio of everything she has gathered about the military contract.

After poking both her coworkers about the incident they had finally relented and spilled that they thought Lucy was asking Kara out on a date or at least date like event. 

Kara had snorted, clearly unconvinced no matter how much they tried to tell her otherwise.

'What is it with men and seeing lesbians wherever they look?' Kara ponders as she prints out the rest of the file.

"Kiera!"

Mere seconds later Kara is standing in front of Cat's desk. "Yes Miss Grant?"

"What are you up to?" Cat is leaning back on her chair and stares accusingly at Kara.

"I am working on a portfolio for a meeting i have later on." Kara replies honestly, unsure what the older woman wants of her.

"A meeting hmm? And you think it's alright to go blab about a military contract to someone outside of the company without asking permission first?"

"I was going to." Kara's eyes drift upwards a bit, but stare back down the second she catches a glimpse of Cat's stare. "S-seriously, b-but Miss Lane is entitled to any and all information anyway... s-so.."

Silence starts to grow between them and Kara is waiting for it to blow over, but she is not going to be the one to break it that's for sure.

"You have a meeting with Miss Lane." It is no question, not really. "When?" 

"Depends on my workload, i will call her after work so she can pick me up." Cat starts to fume as she hears that. It is so like the Major to go behind Cat's back like this.

They had quite a few tense meetings so far and now she approaches her assistant on her free time to get the upper hand on Cat? 'Hell no.'

"You will cancel this meeting." 

"Yes Miss Grant." 

"If Miss Lane approaches you again you tell her to ask ME first, this is no proper way to conduct business." 

"Yes Miss Grant." 

"And you.." Cat's voice sends chills down Kara spine, it is deliriously cold and surges with power. The chair creaks almost inaudibly as Cat get up and stands in front of Kara. "Look at me."

Karas tongue itches to lick her dry lips but that would be inappropriate. Instead she looks up, taking in the impeccable pantsuit, the rigid posture and glossy lips pressed into a thin line. 

For the first time in her life Kara get's it, the fixation the humans have on other peoples bodies. Up until now she had never really cared about what people looked like. 

She had no interest in the bodies, only caring about the person in question and how they acted towards her.

But here, now, her eyes stop moving.. they linger. Maybe it is the familiarity of the situation, or the timbre in Cat's voice that seems to overlap with a memory from the past.

// "Look at me Kara." //

// "This is who you are, and it is alright. Everything will be alright." //

Shaking of the flashback Kara blinks and finally makes eye contact with the murky green in front of her.

"If i ever catch you going behind my back like this there will be hell to pay, do i make myself clear?"

Images race through Kara's mind, tucked away ever since she had glanced into Alex hidden cache of books. 

Something stirs in her, warm and lazy it uncoils and flushes her cheeks. "Yes Miss.." She whispers, quickly adding an almost forgotten "Grant." 

'Ugh! Why doesn't she fight me? She didn't do anything wrong, not technically. I don't need another yea-sayer, I want.. I..' Cat let's her eyes take in the whole sight in front of her instead of narrowing in on these babyblue eyes.

The girl is almost shaking, but there is no fear in her. Cat has enough experience with panicked personal to be sure about this. 'So what is going on? Is she honestly worried about what i think of her?'

Perplexed Cat sits back down before the girl can see her confusion. She waves her right hand in a dismissive gesture and stares at one of her monitors.

Instead of leaving at once Kara needs a second to get her legs moving. Part of her tempted by the idea of pushing Cat further, rile her up until.. 

'Calm down Kara.. damn..' She reprimands herself and leaves the office to cancel the meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the need to explain the current underlying relations, my paranoia tells me a lot get's lost in translation.
> 
> Alex - Kara, had a dom sub relationship without the usual sex part  
> James - Lucy, had a 'normal' relationship but they broke up when she came out as a lesbian  
> Winn, has a crush on Kara  
> James, knows about the Winn's crush and want's to pay him back for teasing him (James) about the breakup with Lucy (and the fact that she came out after said breakup)  
> Kara, has been pretty much asexual up until now, never really interested in anyone  
> Cat, does not understand Kara's submissive behaviour and mistakes it for a character quirk. She does enjoy toying with the girl, but not in any naughty kind of way.


	7. Top Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Top Cat.
> 
> or
> 
> How one should twist an argument.

## 

+4y +8m +20d

# Thursday at CatCo 1106

They have been at it for almost half an hour now, going back and forth in their tug of war for information. The prototype test of red tornado being only two weeks away Cat Grant is eager to get the most out of her exclusive rights, which means negotiating with a major that is especially grumpy today

"That's.." Lucy begins with a smug grin.

"Classified.." Cat finishes, her eyes glaring. "However there is no need to show any more of your inappropriate attitude Miss Lane."

"MY inappropriate behaviour? That's rich coming from YOU Miss Grant."

"What is that supposed to mean? I've been very patient with your childish outbursts so far."

She feels a bit ashamed about stooping to Miss Lane's level, but the last couple of days had been taxing for the CEO.

After putting Kara back in her place she had come up with a few new techniques that subtly remind her assistant not to overstep her bounds again.

Between keeping track of this and a myriad of other business and personal problems Cat had slipped once or twice and poured herself a drink.

Not that it really influenced her ability to work, but Lucy Lane may have noticed it judging by the self righteous sneer that Cat is facing at the moment. 

"Well for starters i don't need alcohol to get through my working day.." Cat is about to launch her own verbal assault when the rest of the sentence hits her with confusing force.

".. and i don't get personally involved with my subordinates, i leave that to slimy older businessmen.. or well women in your case i guess."

'I..what? What the hell is she talking about?! Is this about allowing Mister Olsen up here? Does she think it's because i fancy him? That's ridiculous!'

Grasping for straws Cat's eye fly across the offices and desks outside of hers, hoping that inspiration will strike and help her out of this mess.

'Oh no.. she can't mean..' Her eyes come to rest on a busy blond assistant that is innocently typing away at her computer.

Lucy's smirk turns downright triumphant as she follows Cat's line of sight.

"Not only that, but dictating that poor girls every move? It was supposed to be a date, no marriage proposal. You could've simply told her to let me down easy."

"But no! You have her go through that whole ridiculous jealous girlfriend routine. Claiming i have have to go through you first? That's cute."

Under Cat's watchful stare Kara freezes up, as if she had heard what Lucy just said. This, at least in Cat's mind, curious happenstance jolts her into action. It is high time to get her bearing back.

"Kiera, would you be so kind as to come over here for a minute?" Her voice is sugary sweet as she presses down on her intercom.

Lucy for her part leans back, unsure off what to make of Cat's uncharacteristic behaviour.

"Yes Miss Grant?" Kara asks timidly.

"Three days ago you were about to have dinner with the lovely Miss Lane over here correct?" The pleasant undertone persists as she smiles at her assistant, who simply nods in respond.

"Was the nature of the dinner personal or business related?" Cat is almost purring now, eager to see the finale of her impromptu tactic.

"Umm .. business, of course." Kara replies honestly, but avoids eye contact with either of the women. She had used her super hearing to listen in earlier and already knows that Lucy thought otherwise. 

"Of course." Cat gloats and taps one of her screens, causing Lucy's accusation to repeat from the speakers.

Beet red the major is about to protest this huge breach of privacy when Cat wiggles her fingers instead. "Complete rights to every conversation in here darling."

Fists balled up Lucy looks like she is about to punch the smug CEO.

"Sorry.." An equally red faced Kara whispers, feeling utterly ridicules for misunderstanding the invitation.

Without another word Lucy storms out of the office, leaving a miraculously energized Cat and a thoroughly humiliated Kara.

Feeling very pleased with this turn of events Cat pours herself another drink and leans back in her chair.

She does not address Kara right away, she rather enjoys taking in the sight of this proper schooled young woman.

'I could not have come up with a better scenario myself.' She smiles and sips on her glass.


	8. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stay.
> 
> or
> 
> How to properly escalate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proofread yet (08.05 Late night german time), best check back in a day or two.

## 

+4y +8m +20d

# Thursday at CatCo 2025

After Lucy had stormed out the rest of the day had resumed its chaotic yet strangely calming routine.

There was no further discussion or clarification. Not about the misunderstanding Kara had caused nor the somewhat .. unorthodox way Cat had handled the situation.

Instead they focused on the mountain of work that piles up during the day. Between 5 and 6 pm the offices start to empty out while others are filled by the nightshift.

The CatCo Tower is a busy place at every hour but the top floor is an exception. First and foremost it is Cat Grans workplace, everyone that works here ensures SHE can work at peak performance.

Some are here to represent their department, others because she values their perspective or skills. 

But they all have one thing in common, they leave before 6 pm. Of course Cat could have secondary representatives or a backup IT Guy that covers Gwinn's Position but that's not what she wants.

Instead the CEO enjoys the quiet when she has to stay long.. which is almost every day. Lately there has been one exception to this plan of hers though.

'At first I thought she is simply brownnosing.. but now? Now I have no idea.. why can i figure everyone and everything out in a matter of minutes except her?'

Not for the first time in the last couple of hours green eyes stray from her workplace on to her assistant.

'She wants to be here, she doesn't mind being challenged and pushed to her limits. She accepts any penalty for acting out and is all around the best assistant one could wish for. And yet..'

Kara stiffens under the close scrutiny and stops her work to glance around until her blue eyes meet green.

'And yet there is more.. I feel like there is so much more to her.'

Kara holds the eyecontact and smiles faintly, unsure if she is silently being summoned, scolded or judged. A second passed and she looks back down to resume her work.

'It's silly, why do I care?' Cata muses, but deep down she knows. There is something forming between them, an unidentified something that regularly thrills Cat into dubious actions.

Like with Lucy, it was nothing.. a misunderstanding, unimportant.. but it felt.. different to Cat.

'She had to be told a lesson, both of them.. and i delivered on that. It's nothing more then that, an employe kept in line and a business partner shamed for acting like a brat.'

A lie, subtle yes, easy to bend this way.. but a lie non the less. She is ashamed of the truth and on top that angry about being ashamed.

'Weakness piled upon weakness,.. nonsense, all of it.' Cat looks away.

She is tempted to pour herself a drink, being especially productive today would be her excuse. The late hour and almost empty office floor another.

Two good excuses, she always liked to have thoose.. excuses. Amber liquid pours into crystal, two fingers full and she sighs after the first nip.

There is a polite knock followed by soft footfall. "Is there anything else you need Miss Grant?" Kara's voice is even and Cat is instantly suspicious. 'She never leaves before I do.'

"Need to be somewhere Keira?" Cat says before she can stop herself. It's laughable to scold Kara now, pointless and utterly petty.

Cat Grant hates pettiness in every form, especially in herself. "Nevermind, no I'm fine. You go on ahead." Manicured fingers wave her off before resigning back to the keyboard.

"I'm sorry.. but there is barely anything left of note anyway..so.." Kara offers as a way to soften her departures and it sickens Cat. 

It sickens her that she cares, that Kara is special somehow and most of all that the young woman plays right into it. 

Everything would be so much easier if Kara would be snappy about Cat's demands and all around attitude .. but no. 

'She makes excuses .. for me. It's pathetic and nice, cotton and barbwire.. all at once.' 

"Stay." Cat says, conviction in her voice despite going against what she said and felt mere seconds ago. 

'It's time to end this.' This thought spirals inside her, but it is like a being on it's own.

Kara is surprised at first, she promised Winn and James to meet them at the bar around nine. But when she looks at her boss for confirmation of what she just hear she calms down.

It doesn't matter if she's late or even fails to show up. What she sees in front of her trumps everything, it's determination personified.

To what end Kara does not know and the anticipation is exhilarating.

Unbeknown to her Cat feels the same, she has no idea what is going to happen. All she knows is that she wants to force the issue now, before she spends any more time pondering.

So she gets up from her desk and moves closer to Kara halting mere inches in front of her. "Sit." Cat almost whispers, her breath taken away by the tension in the room.

And Kara does, right on the spot she lowers herself into something that looks more like kneeling then sitting and Cat's skin in bristling with electricity. 

'Everyone, every damn single employer I have would look around confused and then pick one of the seats or the sofa at the other end of the office.' But Kara hadn't and that's when Cat knows.

She knows what the little tests, coffee trials and reprimands meant to her assistant and subsequently maybe even to herself.

"Look at me." Kara does and it's the most awe-inspiring thing Cat has ever seen, heating her up, causing her to grip the desk for support.

It has been there every once in a while the last couple of days, this feeling of .. power .. of control. Not because Kara feared for her job like the other menials around her when they bowed their heads and yielded. 

But because Kara gave it up willingly and it is addicting to Cat, more so then anything else had ever been. 

As the older woman reigns in her emotions the younger one basks in the glory of the moment. She thought that the last days may have all been in her imagination. 

Projecting what Alex and she had onto someone else because she felt the loss of it. But Cat had kept pushing, going beyond what was appropriate as a boss and Kara started to hope.

And now here she is, kneeling before her beautiful boss, eager to see where this is going.

'Now what?' Cat ponders, Kara did not bolt, she stayed and is literally on her knees before her.

'I'm not gay.' This thought seems prudent given the situation, because if she were this would be an easy if not somwhat pornoesque precursor to sex.

'I'm not. This is not about some physical attraction towards a young assistant.. and that's the definition of gay right? Physical attraction?' 

Cat breaks the eye contact and let's her yes wander. 'Kara is good looking, despite or maybe because she is desperately trying to hide it.' 

The gaze moves over her neck and shoulder, down to her breasts. To her this is a test .. and she passes. 'See? Not gay. It's not her body that makes this what it is.'

"Wait here." Cat says and starts to gather her purse. "Yes Miss." Kara breathes and Cat hurries her pace as a result.

* * *

The car ride home had taken half an hour, by far not enough time for Cat Grant who is pouring herself a drink and glances at her computer.

She could open up the videofeed to her office with a few clicks but.. she won't, not yet.

Instead she waits and replays different scenes over and over in her head.

Kara calling her Miss the first time as if by accident.

Kara blushing as Lucy storms out past her.

Kara.. kneeling in front of her.. looking up, calling her Miss again.. not mistaking it this time.

These images fold in on one another as other, fictional ones, sneak in, fueled by recalling a VCR her first husband had shown her to many years ago.

Back then she called it ludicrous and utterly unrealistic. 'Who in their right mind would do something like that? That's what i asked him, but now i have an answer .. Kara would.'

Cat's breathing quickens as she pictures her in all those formerly silly poses.

Kara's hands bound behind her, head craned to look at her.

Kara crawling on all fours, a collar around her neck.

Kara chained to a fence.

And those were the tame scenes from the movie. There was no touching involved, no nudity or anything remotely involving sex.. or pain.

The later sparks an instant reaction in Cat, she knows what she wants Kara to do now. The crystal glass in her hand misses its coaster and seconds later tumbles of the desk.

Clicks echo through the dark room and a soft blue light starts to shine against an almost frantic face.

Kara is still kneeling and Cat feels another rush coursing through her at the sight.

A trembling hand fishes through the contents of a drawer to grab a headset.

'This is insane.' A part of her screams but she is beyond listening to reason. 

They should have stopped after the supposedly bitter coffer. 

They definitely should have stopped after the Lucy or tonight's demand to stay.. but they did not.

"Kiera.. stand up." The voice travels miles in an instant, it is shaking as it leaves the speakers, but only slightly.

And Kara does, she stands alone in a moonlight office and waits while back in Cat Grants house green eyes are glued to the monitor.


End file.
